Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Since the birthday banquet had not yet started, the guests had to wait and rest separately in the men's and women's sections.

So the two parted ways at the crossroads.

Xiao Muyao went to the men's rest area on his own.

Lingyan was also led by a maid to the women's rest area.

She was taken to a garden.

It was already filled with many women of noble status, dressed in gorgeous clothes, wearing precious jewelry, with exquisite makeup and graceful figures.

These noble ladies gathered in small groups, some talking quietly, others smiling gently.

Inside the pavilion, several noble ladies were playing musical instruments. Their skills were superb, and the music they played was melodious and captivating.

In another corner of the garden, there is an artificial hill with a pavilion on it, where several noble ladies are playing chess.

Their expressions were focused, as if they were in a world isolated from the outside world.

Beneath the artificial hill, some young ladies were playing and laughing, their clear and melodious voices conveying their innocence and joy.

The entire garden exudes a strong sense of vitality and energy.

But after she stepped inside, all the noise suddenly disappeared.

Everyone watched as she lost all speech and movement.

She stood there quietly, her blue dress fluttering in the wind like a flowing wisp of blue ink.

The light and flowing fabric of her blue dress clung perfectly to her figure, outlining her slender and graceful curves.

Her face was as white as snow, like exquisite porcelain, and appeared even more pure against the backdrop of her blue dress.

Her eyebrows were like crescent moons, elegant yet spirited; her eyes were as clear as lake water, revealing liveliness and intelligence; her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if they could fan a gentle breeze.

Her nose was straight and delicate, and her cherry lips were naturally red without any makeup. When she slightly turned up, they blossomed into a captivating smile.

She wore a jade bracelet on her wrist, which complemented her blue dress. Every gesture she made exuded elegance and grace, like a fairy who had stepped out of a classical painting, with a transcendent beauty.

Everyone present was amazed by her, even those who were hostile towards her.

She was so strikingly beautiful that she seemed to exist on a completely different level from them.

After regaining their senses, the noble ladies all bowed in greeting.

They then wondered whether they should approach her and start a conversation, given her status.

Lingyan saw through their thoughts and smiled gently, saying, "Please do as you please, do whatever you want, don't worry about me."

She then found a spot to sit down and enjoy the scenery in the garden.

The noble ladies then dispersed in twos and threes.

Judging from Princess Rui's demeanor, she preferred quiet and did not wish to talk to them, so they did not go forward to disturb her.

It wasn't until fifteen minutes later.

Only a few people surrounded Lingyan.

Hearing the noble ladies bowing, Lingyan also rose and bowed in return.

It turned out to be several princesses.

One of them, a lively and spirited princess dressed in a pale yellow dress, with bright, sparkling eyes like jewels and a smile as warm and radiant as the first rays of morning sunlight, stepped forward excitedly:

"Sister-in-law is so beautiful! I have never seen such a beautiful woman before. Brother is really lucky."

Lingyan smiled slightly and said, "Eighth Princess, you flatter me."

This is Xiao Muyao's biological younger sister, the Eighth Princess.

The youngest princess standing nearby chimed in, "Eighth Sister is right!"

The woman with a face like a peach blossom and eyes like autumn water, dressed in a pink silk dress that made her look as delicate and beautiful as a peach blossom in spring, was none other than the Ninth Princess.

At this moment, a princess who was slightly older than the two of them spoke up: "Alright, if you two keep praising Sixth Sister-in-law, she'll get shy."

This is the seventh princess.

She possessed a cool and aloof demeanor, dressed in a moon-white long dress, with skin as white as snow, eyebrows like distant mountains, and eyes that were clear and deep, like the water of a cold pool.

Beneath her high, straight nose, her lips were naturally red without any makeup. Just standing there quietly, she exuded a calm and gentle aura.

If the three princesses treated her very kindly and gently...

The remaining two princesses were not so friendly to her.

These two are the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess.

Lingyan found it strange. They were meeting for the first time and she had never offended them, so why were they so hostile towards her?

She was unaware that there are people in the world who feel intense jealousy and resentment when they see others who are more beautiful or more outstanding than them.

The Fifth Princess was like that.

She was hailed as the most talented woman in the capital, but since this woman appeared, she has been completely overshadowed.

She considered herself to be exceptionally beautiful, but standing in front of her, she realized what it meant to feel inferior.

Therefore, she instinctively disliked her.

The sixth princess was much simpler; she was inherently stupid and lacked common sense, and was always used as a pawn by the fifth princess.

Knowing that the Fifth Princess disliked this sister-in-law, she also grew to dislike her.

Lingyan ignored their unfriendly gazes and continued to smile.

The Seventh Princess noticed this and asked, "Sixth Sister-in-law, the sun is extremely strong here, and we might get sunburned. Let's go to the pavilion to rest."

The Eighth Princess and the Ninth Princess also agreed.

Lingyan nodded in agreement.

So the group headed to the pavilion.

Only the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess remained standing there with gloomy expressions.

After they sat down in the pavilion, the Ninth Princess asked curiously, "Why do I feel that Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister look at Sister-in-law with such a creepy gaze? Sister-in-law is so beautiful, how could anyone not like her?"

The Eighth Princess sneered, "What else could it be? Jealousy of my sister-in-law's good looks!"

The Seventh Princess nodded in agreement.

The Ninth Princess was greatly puzzled.

What is there to be jealous of?

Is appearance really that important?

Strength is the bottom line.

Besides, no one can compare to my sister-in-law!

If everyone were like her, wouldn't all the women in the world be jealous?

The group was utterly speechless.

They then chatted together.

It must be said that these three princesses suited Lingyan's taste very well. In every aspect, she felt that being with them was very easy and pleasant.

And so it went until the banquet began.

The group felt they hadn't had enough and wanted to keep chatting like this.

They also agreed to meet up and play together whenever they had time.

They then headed together to the banquet venue.

After everyone arrived at the hall and took their seats according to their assigned positions, the birthday celebrant made his appearance.

Marquis Chengen, though old and frail, sat leisurely in the head seat of the banquet. He then exchanged a few pleasantries with everyone in a cheerful manner, and the banquet officially began.

The guests below were seated on either side, one for men and one for women.

Lingyan sat in the front row on the women's side.

She was accompanied by several princesses and queens.

Lingyan ate her meal in peace, occasionally chatting with the three princesses, and then looking up at the handsome men opposite her.

To be honest, over 80% of the noble ladies and gentlemen in the capital are quite good-looking.

More than 30% of them are especially good-looking.

Of course, there are a few that are even more outstanding and beautiful.

Besides Xiao Muyao and He Jingchuan, there was also the Imperial Uncle, Prince Xiang, Xiao Yiqun, as well as the son of a prime minister and the son of a minister.

These people were really kind to her eyes.

So she was in a good mood.

Unfortunately, there are always some clueless people who ruin her good mood.

The Sixth Princess smiled maliciously and said, "Some people probably haven't had such a delicious meal many times in their lives. You must eat more! After all, you used to only be able to eat what others left over."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the princesses and noble ladies nearby all changed.

It goes without saying who this is referring to.

They all unconsciously looked at the person in question.